Getty Head coach Matt Nagy is the latest member of the Chicago Bears to test positive for COVID-19.
The Chicago Bears are in the midst of their worst COVID-19 outbreak in two seasons.
In a meeting with the media via Zoom on October 25, Bears head coach Matt Nagy revealed that he has tested positive for COVID-19. It is the latest in what is turning out to be a weekly occurrence for the Bears.
First, running back Damien Williams, who is unvaccinated, tested positive in mid-October and missed 10 days, and receivers coach Mike Furrey, who is vaccinated, also missed time, but returned after being out just over a week.
In addition to their head coach, the Bears also currently have four players quarantining after testing positive for COVID: outside linebacker Robert Quinn, tight end Jimmy Graham swing tackle Elijah Wilkinson and rookie linebacker Caleb Johnson. All four missed Chicago’s Week 7 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
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STC Chris Tabor Will Run Team Meetings
The Bears coach also announced that special teams coach Chris Tabor will take over for him and run team meetings in his absence, which has happened before.
“Coach Tabor will go ahead and run any of the team meetings that I would not be a part of,” Nagy said. “That again is what we did [once during rookie minicamp]. … We created a plan two years ago when we started this thing. We have a role for every coach ad the roles that if we don’t have a coach, who steps in. That’s how well go moving forward. We kind of went through this before where I was out. I know our group of coaches and players are extremely resilient. For us moving forward, we’re going to have a good plan in place.”
Nagy, like the rest of Chicago’s coaching staff, is vaccinated, so if he tests negative twice in a 48-hour span, he’ll clear protocols and be allowed to return.
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Bears Enter ‘Enhanced Mitigation Protocols’ After Recent COVID-19 Outbreak
Per NFL insider Tom Pelissero, after their recent outbreak, the Bears have now begun undertaking “enhanced mitigation protocols,” which includes “mandatory mask-wearing and daily testing for all players and staff, regardless of vaccination status:”
Nagy also noted as of October 25, no other Bears’ coaches or players had tested positive other than himself, which the head coach said was a “good sign,” adding: “Now we gotta make sure we do everything we’re supposed to do here in regard to the protocol.”
Nagy was asked if he thought this recent outbreak might prompt the team’s unvaccinated players to get vaccinated. “We have not had any of those team discussions, he said. He had noted Chicago had over 90% of its players vaccinated at the start of the season.
“It’s a reminder for all of us to be extremely cautious and to understand where we’re at,” he added. “We’ve seen it with other teams in the league and society in general, so we’re working through that.”
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